vvEPA Site Activities Update United States Environmental Protection .. Agency Mormon Farms Site, New Mexico This Fact Sheet will tell you about: • Removal Action • Next Steps • Where to get more information What is the status of the Removal Action at the Mormon Farms Site? The Mormon Farms Site is comprised of the five neighbor- hoods located adjacent to the former Homestake Uranium Mill, plus additional properties in the immediate vicinity. The five neighborhoods are: Broadview Acres, Felice Acres, Mur- ray Acres, Pleasant Valley, and Valle Verde. EPA has completed the excess gamma radiation assessments on all residential properties (110) that granted EPA access. There are 19 properties that have gamma radiation elevated above a background level. These properties will have soil and/or radioactive items removed from the properties with the homeowner's permission. How was the local community involved in the Removal Action? EPA works with individual residents to explain the assess- ment process and secure access agreements from each proper- ty owner to conduct assessments. EPA reported the assessment results back to each property owner. Most recent- ly, members of the Bluewater Valley Downstream Alliance (BVDA) and other concerned citizens groups have been in- volved in providing input in the selection of the proposed staging area. What did EPA sample during the Removal Action? Radiation Scanning and Structures Assessment By June 2011, the EPA completed radiation scanning at 86 properties in the subdivisions south of the Homestake Site. Gamma radiation scanning was conducted around each home up to a maximum of one acre surface area throughout the yard using a 2x2 sodium iodide detector in conjunction with a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit. Composite soil sam- ples were collected from each property for analysis as re- quired by the removal protocol. Subsequently, based on citizen input, 24 additional structural assessments were con- ducted in the area for a total of 110 homes. December 2013 How was it determined what homes would have soil removed? With landowner permission, EPA conducted surveys to de- termine which properties had radioactive materials above action levels. As explained in the Action Memorandum for the Mormon Farms Site, the health-based action level was established for this site at 3.5 pCi/g of Radium 226 (inclusive of background) in the mine and mine related contaminated waste materials and soils. What are the next steps that EPA plans to take at the site under removal authority? EPA needs to acquire a staging area so that the soil that will be excavated can be temporarily stored prior to being trans- ported to a licensed radioactive disposal facility for final dis- posal. Based on citizen input and a technical feasibility evaluation, EPA has selected an industrial location (asphalt plant area) for the staging area. The staging area must be completed before the residential excavation can begin. It will take approximately 6 weeks to prepare the site to accept the removal related excavated soil and debris. Weather permitting, the removal action will take approxi- mately 3-4 months to complete. Where will the contaminated soil and debris be sent for disposal? Contaminated soil and debris identified in the survey as ex- ceeding the action level for the Mormon Farms Area will be removed by an EPA Contractor and then taken via covered dump trucks to a secure area to be temporarily staged (stock- piled). The area for temporary staging materials has been se- lected. Once the removal action is completed and stockpiled material is shipped away for permanent disposal, the tempo- rary staging area will be sampled, any residual contamination removed and the property will be restored to its condition prior to use by EPA. The temporarily stockpiled contaminated soil and debris will be sampled to profile the waste. This profile will be used to solicit contract bids from licensed radiological waste disposal facilities. Once the contract with the licensed radiological waste disposal facility is in place, the stockpiled waste mate- rials will be transported off-site to the contracted licensed facility for final disposal. ------- Where to get more information: Warren Zehner On Scene Coordinator U.S. EPA Region 6 (6SF-PR) Tel: 281.983.2229, Fax: 214.665.6660 Zehner.warren@epa.gov Jon Rinehart On Scene Coordinator U.S. EPA Region 6 (6SF-PR) Tel: 214.665.6789 Rinehart.jon@epa.gov Joy Campbell Community Involvement Coordinator U.S. EPA Region 6 (6SF-V0) Tel: 214.665.8036 or 1.800.533.3508 (toll free) Fax: 214.665.6660 Campbell.joy@epa.gov Stephen Harper Community Involvement Coordinator/SEE U.S. EPA Region 6 (6SF-VO) Tel: 214.665.2727 or 1.800.533.5308 (toll free) Harper, stephen@epa.gov Phyllis Bustamante Ground Water Quality Bureau Superfund Oversight Section New Mexico Environment Department Tel: 505.827.2434, Fax: 505.827.2965 Site Repository Mother Whiteside Memorial Library 525 W. High St. Grants, NM 87020 505.287.4797 For press inquiries, please call, EPA Press Office, at 214.665.2200. You can find more information about the Region 6 Su- perfund program on EPA's Region 6 website: http://www. eya. sov/resion6/6s f/6sf.htm Para recibir una traduccion en espanol de esta hoja de da- tos, comunicarse con la Agenda de Proteccion del Medio Ambiente de los EEUU (la EPA) al numero de telefono 1.800.533.3508 (llamada gratis). On the web: http://www.eva.gov/region6/6sf/newmexico/homes take mining/index.html http: www.epa.gov region6 6sf newmexico grants nm grants index.html v>EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 1445 Ross Ave. (6SF-VO) Dallas, TX 75202 ------- |